Package slitter



Juhe 9, 1925. 1,541,030

M. COHEN PACKAGE SLITTER Filed Oct. s, 1923 x I Kiwi INVENTOR Mag/"f5 Coke/7 Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES Moanrs COHEN, on NEW YORK, N. Y. 9

, PACKAGE sLI'r'rER.

Application filed October 3, 1923. Serial No. 666,2(5-5.

To all whom it may concern:

ably comparatively large and heavy. Said Be it known that I, Momns Conan, a base has a casing 11, suitably secured,

citizen of the United States, residing ,at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Package Slit ters, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to machines for slitting the ends of packages and-particularly to that type of such machines as employ means for operating a slitting knife.

' One of the objects of this invention is the provision of a simple and efficient device for causing a knife to make a cut of, predetermined width in a package, in -close proximity to the end of said package.

A further-object of this invention is the provision of movable means for supporting a revoluble knife and the package to be slitted, said means being so connected to said knife that movement of said means results in the rotation of said knife.

A-further object of this invention is the provision of means for causing said knife to operate only on movement of the knife support in a predetermined direction.

A still further object of this invention .is the. provision of a. guard whereby the hand of the operator is protected from the'knife at all times.

For-the attainment of the aforesaid and other objects as-Will appear hereinafter, I employ the devices shown in the preferred forms in the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of one form, of my improved device.v

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of my device showing a modified form of driving means.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. I

' Fig. 4 is afragmentary vertical section on the line 44, Fig. 1. i Fig. 5 is a top plan view of one form of knife which may be used in connection with my improved device.

Fig. 6 is a similar view of another form of the same, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a cigarette package after it has been slitted by my improved device and the resulting flap slightly upturned.

In the practical embodiment of my invention, I provide a base 10, made preferthereto, though said casing may be made integral with said base if desired. A package supporting table 12, preferably horizom tally disposed, is suitably mounted for vertical reciprocatory movement inside of said casing, and is preferably guidedin said movement as by means of the plunger 13, operating in the opening 1 10f the base 10. Said plunger is suitably connected, as by means of the portion 15 secured in the downwardly extending lug 16, to the under side of the table 12. A compression spring 17 abuts at one end against the under surface of the lug 16 .and at the other end against the flange 18 of the sleeve 19, and serves to urge the table 12 into its uppermost position/ For limiting the movement :of the table 12 in either direction, a stop preventing further upward movement of said table. In the lowermost position of the tab1e12 said stop 20 engages the upper end of the slot 21, thereby preventing any further downward movement of said table.

For supporting the various shafts, a rib as 22 extending from the lug 16 and the under. face of the table 12 carries at the lower horizontal edge thereof, the preferably horizontal bearmg 23 and at the right extremity. thereof, the preferably vertical bearing 24.

- Inv said bearing 24, is suitably mounted the preferably verticalshaft 25, carrying a knife as 26 at the upper end thereof and carrying the bevel gear 27 at the lower end thereof. The bearing 23 supports the shaft 53 on which is carried a spur gear Wheel '28 nearfthe leftend thereof, while near the right end thereof is carried a bevel gear 29 meshing-with said bevel gear 27. Arackas 30 is suitably secured to the inside of the casing 11 and meshes with the gear 28, in that form of my device shownin Fig. 1.

Rotatable knives of various forms may be used for slitting the package, depending, to some extent, on the type of package and the contents thereof. It will be understood that where a biscuit package or the like is to be slitted, a comparatively heavy knife,

\ mounted on the shaft 25 and when the table is depressed, is adapted to swing out into the space designed to be occupied by the package, in close proximity to the upper face of the table 12, so that while the package covering is cut, the contents remain substantially uninjured.

A second form of knife as 32 is shown in Fig. 6. Said knife has cutting edges 50 thereon and is shaped to make a sliding or diagonal entry into the package for easier cutting.

Said knives each have a hole 51 therein, through which the upstanding pin 52 of tlie table 12 is adapted to pass for mounting said knife in a predetermined initial position. I prefer to give each of said knives a half revolution only, on the operation of the table 12, though'by means of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, the knife is brought back a second half revolution to its initial position.

It will be seen that in the form of my device shown in Fig. 1, when the table 12 is depressed against the action of the spring 17, the gear 28, by reason of its longitudinal movement, is rotated by the rack 30, thereby turning the shaft 25, and through the gears 29 and 27 and the shaft 25, rotating that knife 26, 31 or 32 which happens to be carried by said shaft 25. Said knife is thereby projected into the space designed for the package, and cuts through the covering material of said package just inside of the end thereof.

To prevent injury to the operator by the sudden emergence of said knife from the inside of the casing 11 on the inadvertent depression of the table 12, a guard 33 is provided. Said guard is slidably supported by the guide 34, suitably secured to the casing 11, (Fig. 4) and is normally held by the tensile spring 35 in its extreme position at the left, whereby said knife is substantially completely enclosed by the casing and guard and is unable to do any cutting until the guard is moved out of the way.

The package is adapted to be inserted by the operator between the downturned flanges 36 of the top of the casing 11. To operate the device, the package is placed on the table 12 and between said flanges 36, and is then pushed horizontally toward the right into contact with the depending flange 37 of the guard 33.' Further movement of the package 38 toward the right pushes said guard into the casing against the action of the spring 35, so that said package finally mal ose reaches the position wherein the knife 26 will operate thereon on the downward movement of the table 12. It will be noted that in that form. of the driving mechanism shown in Fig. 1, release of pressure on the table 12 allows said table to move upwardly under the influence of the spring and thereby has the effect of rotating the knife 26 in the direction opposite to that given to said knife by downward movement of said table.

If it is desired to have said knife rotate only in one direction, as when the knife 32 is used, I substitute for the gear 28 and the rack 30 thearatchet wheel 39 and the pawl 40 carried at the end of the bell crank lever 41 which is mounted on the shaft To the end 46 of the arm 42 of said lever is connected the link 43 pivoted at 44 to the upstanding fiange 45 ofthe sleeve base 18.

When the table 12 is depressed, the shaft 53 is carried downwardly, carrying therewith the bell crank lever 41. The end 46 of said lever, however, being held by the link 42 against appreciable downward m0vcment, said lever is, in effect, rotated about the axis of the shaft, in a clockwise direction by said downward movement. The pawl 40 on said crank is thereby caused to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 39, rotating said wheel in a clockwise direction, (Fig. 2) and causing the shaft and the parts carried thereby to rotate. The rotary movement of said shaft is transmitted to the knife in the same manner as has been bereinbefore described in connection with 'zontal out very close to the end of the package and extending across the thickness of said package, but only part way through the widtn thereof, whereby it becomes POSSI- 'ble to turn up the slitted portion of said end in the manner ofa flap, to expose the contents (Fig. 7) for easy access thereto. The mechanism for supporting and slittingthe package is simple and efficient, while occupying little space and is amply guarded by simple and inexpensive means against injury to the operator due to carelessness, while at same time being lentirely enclosed, is protected against undue tampering therewith.

I do not Wish to be understood as limiting myself to the structure shown herein, since various changes such as in the drive for the knife, in the means for enclosing the device, in the guard, and other changes-may be made Without departing from the spirit of my invention, as pointed out in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In mechanism of the character described, a package support'fa rotatable knife carried by said support, and means operatively connecting said support and slid knife whereby said knife is rotated on the movement of said support.

2. .In mechanism of the character described, means for supporting a package, means for slitting said package and a spring pressed guard for protecting said slitting means. 1

3. In mechanism of the character described, means for supporting a package, an eccentrically mounted rotatable knife, and means operated by the movement of said table for causing said knife to rotate.

4. In a package slitter,a movable package support, a rotatable knife movable with sa'i d support, and mounted just above and substantially parallel to the supporting surface of said support, and means for rotating said knife for making a cut of predctennined depth in said package close to the end thereof.

5. In a package slitter, a substantially horizontal table adapted to support a package thereon and means for slitting said package operatively connected to said table and adapted to be operated by pressing said table through said package, said slitting means being parallel to the end of said package and adapted to completely out thereacross in one operation.

6. In mechanism 'of the character described, movable means for supporting a package, means for guiding said support, during the movement thereof, means for urging said supporting means into its initial position, a shaft, means operatively connecting said shaft and said supporting means for causing said shaft to rotate on the movement of said supporting means, a knife, and means operatively connecting said shaft and said knife.

7 In mechanism of the character de scribed, a base, a casing secured to said base, a spring-pressed package support mounted for reciprocatory movement in said casing, a rotatable knife, means for operatively connectingsaid support and said knife for causing said knife to rotate on the movement of said support, and means for guarding said knife in the normal position of said support. p

8. In mechanism of the character described, a table adapted for vertical reciprocation for supporting a package, means for normally maintaining said table in its uppermost position, a rotatable knife car ried by said table in close proximity to the upper surface thereof, a substantially vertical shaft carrying said knife and supported by said table, a substantially horizontal shaft supported by said table, means for'rotating said horizontal shaft on the downward movement of said table and means operatively connecting said vertical and horizontal shafts.

9. In mechanism of the character described, a base, a casing secured to said base, a package supporting table mounted for reciproeatory movement in sald casmg, means for normally maintaining said table in its uppermost position, means slidable in said base for guiding said table in its movement, a rotatable knife carried by said table above and in close proximity to the upper surface of said table, means operatively connecting said table and said knife for rotating said knife on the movement of said table and a.

guard for normally rendering said knife inwhen a package on said table is pushed (I against said guard into operative position and means operatively connecting said table and-said knife for causing said knife to rotate on the movement of said table.

11. In mechanism of the character described, a rotatable knife, a guard substantiallyenclosing said knife for rendering said knife inoperative in the normal position of said guard, means for supporting said package and carrying said knife, and means operatively connected to said knife for causing said knife to rotate on the movement of' said supporting means.

12. In mechanism of the character described, a packagesupportingtable adapted to be reciprocated vertically, means for guiding said table in its movement and forv limiting themovement of said table, means for normally. maintaining said table, in its initial position, a knife in close proximity to said table, and means for operating said knife on the movement of said table.

13. Ina package slitter, a substantially horizontal table adapted to support a package thereon, means forslitting said package operatively connected to said table and operable by pressure on said package and means for guarding said slitting means adapted to be moved into inoperative position by said package.

14. In a package slitter, a substantially horizontal table adapted to support a pack-' age thereon, a rotatable knife movable with said table and mounted just above and substantially parallel to the surface of said table, means for rotating said knife for making a slitting cut of predetermineddepth in said package close to the end thereof on the movement of said table and means .for guarding said slitting means adaptable to be moved into inoperative position by said package.

eanoeo 15. In a package slitter, a vertically rociprocable package supporting table, a knife operatively connected to said table, means for moving said knife parallel to said table and transversely across the end of a package on the depression of said table and said package.

Signed at New State of New York this first day of October, 1923. i

York in the county and Messrs COHEN. 

